Off into the Sunset

Robyn was in Minnesota the past week.  After 95 years of a life well lived, her father passed away peacefully, at home.  We were in cellphone and internet range, near an international airport, and she was able to be with her mom and the rest of the family two days later.  A blessing, when you consider how far we can be from communication, let alone fast international transportation.  

She returned yesterday, and we are checking out of Mexico in a couple of hours. After the formalities at the marina here, we’ll go out to an anchorage for a couple of days to do some chores before we put to sea.  That’ll most likely be on Saturday.  The passage to the Marquesas would normally take about three weeks, but the predictions call for very light winds for all of next week, so it’ll likely take longer.  Whatever.  We’ll get there when we get there.

One of the chores I have to do before setting off is to clean the hull again.  It’s amazing how fast stuff grows on it in the tropics, especially with worn-out anti-fouling paint.  The scrubbing I did a few weeks ago in Tenacatita just about killed me, but as Robyn was in the States last week, I took the opportunity for her to bring down a hookah for me.  That’s not quite what you might think at first.  In this context, a hookah supplies compressed air from the surface to a diver in the water.  Wahoo!  No more holding my breath while scrubbing the hull!  I expect the hookah will turn a heinous job into a merely unpleasant one.

Here’s a thought experiment for you to try.  Plan all the food you will need for the next month — can’t count on refrigeration, though.  Picture this mountain of cans and boxes and bags, then imagine how you would organize it in a small RV so that you can find whatever you need while your partner is swerving wildly on a mountain road.  Oh, and you have to carry it all back from the grocery store on a local bus.  Good luck.

There are two constants in long-distance cruising on a boat — you’re always lost, and you’re always leaving.  By the time you’ve learned your way around in some place you’re visiting, it’s time to leave.  Well, we’ve learned our way around Puerto Vallarta pretty well now, so I guess it’s time to leave.

I’ll post again in the Marquesas.